Indigenous traditional knowledge for protection of crops from wild animals and birds

Abstract

Indigenous Traditional Knowledge (ITK) is the term used to describe certain local, indigenous, or regional societies' well-developed, long-standing customs and practices. ITK is not yet fully utilized in the developmental process. This always requires technology transfer from a location that perceives this knowledge. The horizontal spread of this knowledge requires the involvement of some agents who recognize it, value it, and appreciate it in their interaction with the local community and document it percolating from one generation to another generation. For this purpose, Krishi Vigyan Kendra Ajmer involved READY (Rural Entrepreneurship Awareness Development Yojana) students during their village attachment program. The READY students interacted with knowledgeable /progressive farmers to collect and document ITK being used by farmers to safeguard their crops against wild animals and birds. The study revealed 16 ITK technologies that are used by the local farmers.The study also revealed that farmers ranked barbed fence as the most effective ITK of the area, followed by Bijuka, planting of thorny bushes at the edges, planting rows of Saccharum munja, trenching, machan, and fixing of used coloured sarees /cloths and plastic strips /bright coloured cloths / bright pennies.